Hill Democrats Stress Need for Funding SWICs

“Progress made is in jeopardy,” said ranking member Donald Payne, D-N.J., in his opening statement. “In recent years, states could rely on the Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program to support their Statewide Interoperability Coordinators, SWIC, and other communications governance structures. But that program has been eliminated.” Payne worried that federal support sources are “scarce” and pointed to other funding that has dropped. These governance structures built over a decade face “a very real risk” of abandonment, Payne cautioned.

Payne introduced the Statewide Interoperable Communications Enhancement Act Tuesday to “ensure that states maintain the progress we have made toward achieving interoperability by preserving the governance structures necessary to make the communications technology work.” Such structures will be crucial in the creation of a FirstNet network, he said. Payne also hopes the Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act (HR-4289), which unanimously passed the House, will pass the Senate during the lame-duck session of Congress, he said. Ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in his opening statement that he backs the Statewide Interoperable Communications Enhancement Act.

The three-page bill would "amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require recipients of State Homeland Security Grant Program funding to preserve and strengthen interoperable emergency communications capabilities," its text said.

FirstNet has made “dramatic progress” in the past year, Acting General Manager TJ Kennedy testified. “Consultation is well underway.” FirstNet has completed eight state consultations, he said. The network is “on the right path” and “gaining momentum each day,” delivering on promises, he said. His written testimony detailed FirstNet’s state consultation efforts and a recent request for information, including a full draft statement of objectives that yielded more than 120 confidential responses, and a public notice, which yielded more than 60 public responses.

“We watch it daily,” Kennedy told us of the ongoing AWS-3 spectrum auction, naming the various numbers received. “Things are looking very, very positive on that. And for us, as you know, it’s a key component to fund our construction fund, so we’re watching the AWS auction very closely and very happy to see the positive bids that are coming in and how quickly the bids have come up to the reserve price, as an example, today, so that’s terrific.” Tuesday was the first day that occurred (see 1411180061). FirstNet’s $7 billion in funding is tied to FCC spectrum auctions.

Ronald Hewitt, director of the DHS Office of Emergency Communications, cited the significance of next-generation 911 as well as FirstNet. He called FirstNet success “critical” and said his office is “pleased with FirstNet’s progress.”

“With the current absence of SWIC funding, we are losing ground,” said Mark Grubb, communications division director of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security, his state’s SWIC and FirstNet single point of contact. He said many states struggle due to issues surrounding SWIC funding. He called for a strong state SWIC and “appropriate” funding. Grubb thanked Payne for his legislation and said his colleagues would be “thrilled” at the news.

“The SWIC should definitely be a full-time position,” Grubb said in response to questioning from Payne. All 56 states and territories have at least a part-time SWIC, Grubb said.

Subcommittee Chairman Susan Brooks, R-Ind., worried about the response to the Boston Marathon bombing last year and pressed Hewitt on that front. Hewitt had said radios functioned well. “First responders are often so accustomed to using their cellphones,” she said, pointing out the lack of cell service following the bombing.

“You are correct,” Hewitt told her. “What occurs, the commercial networks are designed for a certain capacity and that way exceeded that capacity. So only like 2 or 3 percent of the calls were going through.” He emphasized the 20 MHz of spectrum set aside for FirstNet as eventually “tremendously helpful” when coming online to enhance responder communications.

Brooks asked Kennedy about when FirstNet will finish state consultation, which she judged critical to its progress. “We actually have Iowa today, and we have Florida coming up,” Kennedy said. “We have 32 states that are ready to conduct consultation.” Kennedy believes there will be four consultation phases, and this current phase is the first and expected to be completed within this fiscal year, he said. These meetings will inform the state request for proposals process and creation of the state plans, he said.

“Thoughtfully we have to look at the real world of building systems and building technology and that does take time,” Kennedy told us later of timeline challenges. “We understand the urgency to put great tools in public safety’s hands. But this is a monumental project and we want to make sure we get it right and that we do it in a very open way and that takes some time.” It is “critical” to maintain the land mobile radio systems “for the foreseeable future,” in tandem with the onset of FirstNet’s data services, Grubb said.

Federal regulations and hiring regulation seem to have held FirstNet back, Grubb said. “The federal hiring process sometimes takes a little longer than we would like to see,” Kennedy agreed. FirstNet is seeking direct hiring authority, he said. Grubb added that FirstNet is excellent at outreach, saying it’s been a “little bit slow” and citing “change in leadership.”

“You heard some great questions about consultation here today and what we’re doing out with the states and all of the agencies, city, county, state, and police, fire, EMS agencies to make sure they’re involved in consultation,” Kennedy told us after the hearing, “and make sure they’re aware of what FirstNet is and what it can do to help them and that they’re helping work with us on key users for public safety and how to leverage the network.”